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National Democracy Week – elected Police and Crime Commissioners bring a public voice to policing

Published 3 July 2018

The inaugural National Democracy Week launches today (2 July) and is an opportunity to encourage people to participate in our democracy and to have their say. To bring a public voice to policing, Police and Crime Commissioners were introduced in 2012 to be elected, visible, well-known in their communities and accountable to the electorate.

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) – or the Mayor in London and Greater Manchester – are elected to hold the police to account for delivering the kind of policing you want to see. Their aim is to cut crime and to ensure your police force is effective. They are there to ensure the policing needs of the public are met as effectively as possible and to oversee how crime is tackled by the police.

They bring a public voice to policing and do this by:

engaging with the public and victims of crime to help set police and crime plans;

ensuring the police force budget is spent where it matters most; and

appointing, and where necessary dismissing, the chief constable.

Represent the entire community

PCCs are required to swear an oath of impartiality when they are elected to office. The oath is designed so that PCCs can set out publicly their commitment to tackling their new role with integrity. It reflects the commitment police officers make to serve every member of the public impartially and makes clear that they are there to serve the people, not a political party or any one section of their electorate.

Make sure you have your say

You can find out who your local PCC is by visiting the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners website at www.apccs.police.uk.

The inaugural National Democracy Week is taking place this week (2 – 6 July 2018). One of the aims of National Democracy Week is to encourage all members of the public to get involved with our democracy. As part of this, you can check check you’re registered to vote by visiting gov.uk/register-to-vote.

To mark the Week, the chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, David Lloyd has published a blog on PCCs' democratic engagement which you can read here.

More details about the Week can be found on the Cabinet Office website and by following the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #TalkDemocracy